Memorial Contests

In the midst of a difficult time, the speaker found another source of distress - their stepbrother. The stepbrother's presence at the funeral was a stark reminder of the strained relationship they shared.

The stepbrother's dog barked desperately, its voice echoing human anguish. The speaker saw the stepbrother as a man who struggled to behave in a way that would endear him to anyone. They believed they could see the child in him, a child who had been kicked too many times to learn how to speak without shouting.

The stepbrother accused the father of financial mismanagement and draining the stepmother's accounts. However, the will and the house were frozen, preventing access for both the speaker and the stepbrother.

The stepbrother's behaviour was far from acceptable. He was drunk, staggering, and picking fights. He even brought his Weimaraners to the funeral, which defecated near the chapel door. To add to the tension, the stepbrother left threatening messages on the speaker's phone, accusing them of various wrongdoings.

Despite the turmoil, the stepbrother stood at the back of the funeral, smiling. This behaviour puzzled the speaker, who saw the stepbrother as a sour fuckup, a man who never knew the safety of a loving family.

The stepbrother claimed to have found evidence of the father's alleged harassment of women, possession of pornography, and drug use. However, the speaker had no way of verifying these claims as the search results did not provide information about the stepbrother.

The speaker's father was moved from one medical unit to another during his illness. During this time, the stepbrother was treated as a case rather than a person. The stepbrother's mother was in a care home, well-fed and well-medicated.

The speaker thought that maybe they and the stepbrother were similar in this regard. Both had been hurt, both had been let down, and both were struggling to find their way. The speaker considered approaching the stepbrother, saying something, or ending it. But they never did.

The speaker and the stepbrother crossed paths again, purely by chance, outside a grim pub near the station. The stepbrother didn't look real anymore, just a collection of angry habits held together by beer and bile. The speaker walked away, leaving the stepbrother to his demons.

The story of the stepbrother is a reminder that not all relationships are easy. Some are complicated, fraught with pain and misunderstanding. But it is in these relationships that we often learn the most about ourselves and others.